Drama or skits can be a great way to get students engaged in a lesson by letting them take part in the lesson. Skits can be especially great for the history and reading classroom, but I believe that they can also be adapted to fit well in other subjects as well. One of the reasons why I believe that drama can be very successful in the classroom for students is because a skit lets the students play a role in what they are studying. They become part of the story, and to some extent get to experience the role. Drama can also be very fun for students. Students can be creative in their skits/acting which will encourage them to participate in the activity and learn from it. I do believ e that there are many benefits for English Language Learners when they are doing this activity. Many different tasks must occur for the skit to be successful. Students have to do research to come up with their skit. They have to write it and eventually perform. Students are constantly practicing and using the English Language. Skits can be successful in all grade levels, as long as they are adapted properly for the specific age group.
Activity 1: Role Playing the Constitutional Convention
I have adapted this activity from an article written by Bob Peterson titled Rethinking the U.S. Constitutional Convention: A Role Play, which can be found in Rethinking Our Classrooms vol. 2. This activity can be used in a social studies classroom from grades 4-12. Students will pretend like they are meeting to write our Constitution. What is different about this convention is that groups that were not represented in our historical convention will be represented in this convention. In small groups students will be asked to pretend they are representing these groups of people: White workers Enslaved African Americans, Free African Americans, White Women, Native Americans, and of course the people who were present which were Southern Male Plantation Owners and Northern Bankers. Depending on the group that the students are in, the students will be given a biography of who they are. They will be asked to do some research on this group of people, and to come up with a list of things that they would want for themselves and things that they would not want others to have mentioned in the constitution. Once the students have done their research and are ready to take part of the convention we will start the convention. I will preside over the convention in order to get equal amount of time for each group. It will be up to each group to try to convince the other groups that they should get what they want. Once the arguments are made we will vote on a constitution. The students will be asked to reflect on what they learned. This activity can be adapted to work well at almost any grade level. I believe that this activity gives ELLs a great opportunity to practice their language.
Activity 2: Real Life Simulations:
This activity can be used in at any age level and must me adapted by the teacher to fit properly to the age of the students. The teacher will create a situation and it will be up to groups of students to figure out how to respond in such a situation. The teacher should model the activity for the students before he/she asks the students to perform it. For example the teacher can model to the students how to order food at a fast food restaurant. After the teacher has done this, he/she should put the students off into groups, and than give them a situation in which they can respond to. The students should be given a fair amount of time to come up with a response to the situation. Once the students have come up with a response, they should present their simulation to the other students. Some of the simulations can be simple, like how does someone ask for help, or how can someone find a bathroom in a public place. The difficulty of the simulations should depend on the childs age and their English proficiency. I believe that this activity can be helpful for ELLs because it will give these students opportunities to practice their language, as well as helping them understand how to speak in certain situations.
Activity 1: Role Playing the Constitutional Convention
I have adapted this activity from an article written by Bob Peterson titled Rethinking the U.S. Constitutional Convention: A Role Play, which can be found in Rethinking Our Classrooms vol. 2. This activity can be used in a social studies classroom from grades 4-12. Students will pretend like they are meeting to write our Constitution. What is different about this convention is that groups that were not represented in our historical convention will be represented in this convention. In small groups students will be asked to pretend they are representing these groups of people: White workers Enslaved African Americans, Free African Americans, White Women, Native Americans, and of course the people who were present which were Southern Male Plantation Owners and Northern Bankers. Depending on the group that the students are in, the students will be given a biography of who they are. They will be asked to do some research on this group of people, and to come up with a list of things that they would want for themselves and things that they would not want others to have mentioned in the constitution. Once the students have done their research and are ready to take part of the convention we will start the convention. I will preside over the convention in order to get equal amount of time for each group. It will be up to each group to try to convince the other groups that they should get what they want. Once the arguments are made we will vote on a constitution. The students will be asked to reflect on what they learned. This activity can be adapted to work well at almost any grade level. I believe that this activity gives ELLs a great opportunity to practice their language.
Activity 2: Real Life Simulations:
This activity can be used in at any age level and must me adapted by the teacher to fit properly to the age of the students. The teacher will create a situation and it will be up to groups of students to figure out how to respond in such a situation. The teacher should model the activity for the students before he/she asks the students to perform it. For example the teacher can model to the students how to order food at a fast food restaurant. After the teacher has done this, he/she should put the students off into groups, and than give them a situation in which they can respond to. The students should be given a fair amount of time to come up with a response to the situation. Once the students have come up with a response, they should present their simulation to the other students. Some of the simulations can be simple, like how does someone ask for help, or how can someone find a bathroom in a public place. The difficulty of the simulations should depend on the childs age and their English proficiency. I believe that this activity can be helpful for ELLs because it will give these students opportunities to practice their language, as well as helping them understand how to speak in certain situations.